Issues in the Assessment of Post-ECT Memory Changes

1971 ◽  
Vol 119 (548) ◽  
pp. 73-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Brunschwig ◽  
James J. Strain ◽  
Thomas George Bidder
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Therapeutic Result ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Symptom Remission ◽  
One Year

In this study memory changes during and after electroconvulsive therapy were investigated by means of three different tests. The investigation was double-blind and the subjects were 96 patients hospitalized with depressive illness. Amounts of post-ECT amnesia were evaluated in relation to number of treatments for symptom remission and stability of the therapeutic result over the period of one year.

Lithium Continuation Therapy Following Electroconvulsive Therapy

1981 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Coppen ◽  
M. T. Abou-Saleh ◽  
P. Milln ◽  
J. Bailey ◽  
M. Metcalfe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Double Blind Trial ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Blind Trial ◽  
Clinical Recovery ◽  
Continuation Therapy ◽  
One Year ◽  
To Receive

SummaryThirty-eight depressed patients who were treated with ECT were randomly assigned to receive lithium therapy or identical-looking placebo tablets for one year after clinical recovery in a double-blind trial. The patients who received placebo tablets spent an average of 7.8 weeks with an episode of depression (either as in-patients or day-patients) during the year. In comparison, patients who received lithium spent on average 1.7 weeks with an episode (P <0.02). The trial confirms the high rate of relapses after ECT and suggests that lithium considerably reduces this morbidity. It is suggested that ECT without continuation therapy is not a satisfactory treatment of depressive illness.

The Therapeutic Efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy (Ect) a Double Blind Controlled Trial of Ect and Simulated Ect

1978 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Efficacy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Double Blind

A double-blind controlled trial of ECT versus simulated ECT is described. The results show that real ECT is significantly superior to simulated ECT in the treatment of depressive illness.

Mianserin and Lithium in the Prophylaxis of Depression

1978 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Coppen ◽  
Karabi Ghose ◽  
Rama Rao ◽  
John Bailey ◽  
Malcolm Peet
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Lithium Therapy ◽  
Global Rating ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
History Of ◽  
One Year ◽  
Morbidity Index

SummaryForty-one out-patients with a history of at least three attacks of depressive illness were randomly allocated to treatment on a double-blind basis for one year with either mianserin 20 mg three times daily plus placebo lithium tablets, or to lithium tablets once daily plus placebo mianserin tablets. After one year, the dosage of mianserin was increased to 30 mg t.d.s. for a further six months. All but three of the patients had previously been stabilized on prophylactic lithium therapy. Lithium was found to be significantly superior to mianserin in avoiding admission to hospital or ECT. The overall affective morbidity index, calculated from global rating, showed no significant difference between drugs, but the index of the mianserin group was higher in the second six months than in the first. The lithium group showed no such change. Lithium remains the choice for the prophylaxis of unipolar recurrent depressive illness.

Classification of Depression and Response to Antidepressive Therapies

1983 ◽  
Vol 143 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Abou-Saleh ◽  
A. Coppen
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Antidepressant Medication ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Middle Range ◽  
Percentage Improvement ◽  
One Year

SummaryTwo hundred inpatients suffering from primary depressive illness were studied. Seventy eight of the patients were treated by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and 122 patients received antidepressant medication. Response to ECT and antidepressant medication at 4 weeks showed a curvilinear relationship to Newcastle scores. Patients with Newcastle scores in the middle range (4–8) showed significantly higher percentage improvement than those with low (0–3) and high (9–12) scores. Ninety five patients with unipolar depression who received lithium therapy for one year were also studied. Response to lithium showed a linear relationship to Newcastle scores in these patients. It is suggested that these differences in response to antidepressant therapies reflect the heterogeneity of depressive illness.

New data on the use of lithium, divalproate, and lamotrigine in rapid cycling bipolar disorder

2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Calabrese ◽  
DJ Rapport ◽  
EA Youngstrom ◽  
K. Jackson ◽  
S. Bilali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Term Treatment ◽  
Rapid Cycling ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Parallel Group Design ◽  
Parallel Group ◽  
Long Term Treatment ◽  
Current Therapies

AbstractThe rapid cycling variant of bipolar disorder is defined as the occurrence of four periods of either manic or depressive illness within 12 months. Patients suffering from this variant of bipolar disorder have an unmet need for effective treatment. This review examines two major studies in an attempt to update understanding of the current therapies available to treat rapid cycling patients. The first trial compares lamotrigine versus placebo in 182 patients studied for 6 months. The second is a recently completed, 20-month trial comparing divalproate and lithium in 60 patients. Both trials had a double-blind, randomized parallel-group design. The data from the latter study indicate that there are no large differences in efficacy between lithium and divalproate in the long-term treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder. In addition, lamotrigine has the potential to complement the spectrum of lithium and divalproate through its greater efficacy for depressive symptoms.

Propofol Anaesthesia in Electroconvulsive Therapy

1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher F. Fear ◽  
Carl S. Littlejohns ◽  
Eryl Rouse ◽  
Paul McQuail
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Induction Agent ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Seizure Duration ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Induction Agents

BackgroundThe induction agent propofol is known to reduce electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) seizure duration. It is assumed that outcome from depression is adversely affected by this agent. This study compares propofol and methohexitone as induction agents for ECT.MethodIn a prospective, randomised, double-blind study 20 subjects with major depressive disorder (DSM-III-R criteria) received propofol or methohexitone anaesthesia. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to assess depression before therapy, at every third treatment, and at the end of therapy. Seizure duration was measured using the cuff technique.ResultsMean seizure durations (P < 0.01) and mean total seizure duration (P < 0.01) were shorter in the propofol group. There was no difference in outcome.ConclusionsUse of propofol may not adversely affect outcome from depression and it is not necessarily contraindicated as an induction agent for ECT. Our results should be interpreted cautiously, and larger studies are needed.

scholarly journals Preventive Effect of Liothyronine on Electroconvulsive Therapy-Induced Memory Deficit in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Mohagheghi ◽  
Asghar Arfaie ◽  
Shahrokh Amiri ◽  
Masoud Nouri ◽  
Salman Abdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Deficit ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
The Impact

Introduction and Objective. Despite the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), its cognitive side effects make it less popular. This study investigated the impact of liothyronine on ECT-induced memory deficit in patients with MDD.Methodology. This is a double-blind clinical trial, in which 60 patients with MDD who were referred for ECT were selected. The diagnosis was based on the criteria of DSM-IV-TR. Patients were divided randomly into two groups to receive either liothyronine (50 mcg every morning) or placebo. After the assessment with Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) before first session of ECT, posttests were repeated again, two months after the completion of ECT.Findings. By controlling the pretest scores, the mean scores of the experimental group were higher than the control group in delayed recall, verbal memory, visual memory, general memory, and attention/concentration scales (P<0.05).Conclusion. Liothyronine may prevent ECT-induced memory impairment in patients with MDD. This study has been registered in IRCT underIRCT201401122660N2.

Continuation Therapy with Amitriptyline in Depression

1978 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Coppen ◽  
K. Ghose ◽  
S. Montgomery ◽  
V. A. Rama Rao ◽  
J. Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Antidepressant Medication ◽  
Depressive Illness ◽  
Continuation Therapy ◽  
One Year ◽  
To Receive

SummaryThirty-two patients who had responded to amitriptyline (150 mg daily) when suffering from a depressive illness were allocated either to receive placebo or to remain on the same medication for one year.Plasma concentrations of the drug were regularly estimated. There was no correlation between plasma concentration and subsequent residual affective morbidity. In spite of considerable encouragement, three of the patients did not take the prescribed amitriptyline and they all relapsed. Five out of sixteen patients who received placebo relapsed. None of the patients who continued to take amitriptyline relapsed.It is emphasized that the patients studied were selected, inasmuch as they were apparent responders to amitriptyline. It is concluded that this group of patients should continue to be treated with antidepressant medication for eight months after apparent recovery, and care should be taken to ensure the patients' compliance.

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